WEC Champion Pays Touching Tribute F1 Star - 'Needed Lando To Become A Real Driver'

Ferdinand Habsburg credits his success in endurance racing to the intense competition and development he experienced racing alongside former teammate and F1 star Lando Norris.

35 MILESI Charles (fra), HABSBURG-LOTHRINGEN Ferdinand (aut), CHATIN Paul-Loup (fra), Alpine Endurance Team #35, Alpine A424, Hypercar, action, pitlane, during the 2024 Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, 5th round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, from July 12 to 14, 2024 on the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in Interlagos, Brazil - Photo Fabrizio Boldoni / DPPI / WEC Press Image

WEC champion Ferdinand Habsburg has opened up about the influence that racing against Formula 1 star Lando Norris had on his career. Habsburg talked about how having the McLaren F1 driver as a teammate and competitor during their early careers was crucial to his development as a driver.

Back in their Formula 3 days, along with competing in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand, Habsburg faced what he describes as the toughest competition, and it was these encounters that pushed him to improve and ultimately succeed in the World Endurance Championship.

The Austrian driver credits much of his success to the intense rivalry he had with Lando Norris. Both drivers shared a team at Carlin in the FIA European F3 Championship and were also opponents on the track in New Zealand.

Habsburg, who was born to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, started his career in the junior racing series and managed to stand out with his impressive performances. However, it was the competition with Norris that he believes truly defined and refined his skills on the track. He explained:

"You need the toughest competition in the world to become even remotely good. I needed Lando Norris as a teammate for two years to become a real driver."

Habsburg revealed how Norris pushed him past his limits. He added:

"Without Lando, I don't think I would be a Le Mans winner or champion. I wouldn't be a professional driver. That would not be the case.

"I needed Lando to destroy me, to make me question my own physical abilities and really dig deep and go testing. When I was testing, getting out of the car, scratching my head because I got beaten by two seconds in the wet. And you're like, this is just painful. It was painful and I needed it."

Switching to endurance racing was another milestone in Habsburg's career. With Team WRT in 2021, he not only claimed victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans but also secured the LMP2 title in the FIA World Endurance Championship. By 2022, his winning streak was sustained with RealTeam by WRT in the WEC and he bagged the ELMS drivers' title under Prema Racing.

Presently, Habsburg competes with Alpine in the WEC, shrugging off an injury setback that caused him to miss a portion of the races in 2024.

Lando Norris continues into the 2025 Formula 1 season with the McLaren Racing team.